poll: does the time between the election and inauguration need shortened?

[franksolich]

Originally, way back when, while the presidential election has always been the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the presidential inauguration was held off until March 5 of the following year. 

This was due to the sheer vastness of the country, and that travel was slow and cumbersome; it took time to get from one place to another.

But the date of the inauguration was changed to January 20 of the following year in time for the second inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt in 1937, because travel wasn't the hassle it'd been before.

Well, it's even less of a hassle now, and the time between November 8, 2016 and January 20 of next year just seems to drag and drag and drag; it seems like it'll never come.  And every day that this new presidency is delayed in getting started is another day of further decline.

In no other political system is there such a long interval between the ending of one government and the beginning of a new one; in fact, under nearly all other systems, once the new one's elected, the old one's immediately tossed out.

It seems so dreadfully long, waiting for this travesty to end.

[lars1701c]

Originally, way back when, while the presidential election has always been the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the presidential inauguration was held off until March 5 of the following year. 

This was due to the sheer vastness of the country, and that travel was slow and cumbersome; it took time to get from one place to another.

But the date of the inauguration was changed to January 20 of the following year in time for the second inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt in 1937, because travel wasn't the hassle it'd been before.

Well, it's even less of a hassle now, and the time between November 8, 2016 and January 20 of next year just seems to drag and drag and drag; it seems like it'll never come.  And every day that this new presidency is delayed in getting started is another day of further decline.

In no other political system is there such a long interval between the ending of one government and the beginning of a new one; in fact, under nearly all other systems, once the new one's elected, the old one's immediately tossed out.

It seems so dreadfully long, waiting for this travesty to end.

Hey frank its been a long time, hope all is well

[franksolich]

Hey frank its been a long time, hope all is well

I know.  Where've you been?

<<<gets worried when good members don't show up for the longest time.

Me, I'm about as good as I can be.

[lars1701c]

I know.  Where've you been?

<<<gets worried when good members don't show up for the longest time.

Me, I'm about as good as I can be.

Just feel out of touch with CU need some liberals to smack around here lol.

[Carl]

I voted maybe but more accurately it would be conditionally.

Where the geographical vastness of the country is no longer an issue the ogreish vastness of the government itself makes Jan 20th at times too short.
I would like to see several cabinet and departments at a minimum halved or eliminated altogether along with much of the bureaucracy.
This would make transitioning much easier and could allow a move up to December 31st practical.   

[franksolich]

I voted maybe but more accurately it would be conditionally.

Where the geographical vastness of the country is no longer an issue the ogreish vastness of the government itself makes Jan 20th at times too short.

I would like to see several cabinet and departments at a minimum halved or eliminated altogether along with much of the bureaucracy.

This would make transitioning much easier and could allow a move up to December 31st practical.

Yeah, you were thinking the same thing I was thinking--that travel time's not an issue, but time needed to make so damned many appointments is.  If government were smaller, there wouldn't need be so much time spent getting people to fill positions.

But, thanks to the Democrats, liberals, and primitives, as government isn't smaller.....

That aside, I never used to think much about this, the long interval between the election and installation of a new president, but then after the elections of 2008 when the primitives were complaining about George Bush still being in the White House, I came around to their point of view; I think it's long past time the Obozos were shown the door and told to get out.

If the primitives don't like my idea, well, they're the ones who first promoted it.

[hippocritical]

I'd rather they have the extended transition time. Appointing cabinet members takes some time, and those people aren't just getting briefed on their new jobs, but also having to transition people into the jobs that they're leaving. Those are (almost) all important jobs with serious responsibilities. Plus I'm not convinced forcing it to happen during Christmas holidays is the best plan. That seems arbitrary and unnecessary to all the staffers involved.

Parties aside (because it would happen to republicans too some years) it would be a total shit sandwich to know that in two weeks you'll be unemployed and your last required job function is to spend your last two weeks missing christmas holidays with your family.

[FunkyZero]

The one thing I would like to see shortened is the campaign season.
That's a tall order though because that would have to include imposing rules on media and that's maybe not such a great idea

[Mr Mannn]

This is not a fair question. Transition teams do need some time to get going. But after 8 years I am sooo ready to see Obama out on his a$$. With more than a month to go, the lame duck is getting old fast.

Just this time I am ready to see Trump inaugurated NOW.

[hippocritical]

The thing I'd most like to change is getting the ability to opt out of political phone calls. If I'm up til 2am and want to sleep in til 9am as a result, the last thing I want is some political junkie on any side of the political fence waking me up to hear some crap that I either a) already agree with, or b) don't agree with.

And any voice mail from them should also be illegal. Nobody's gonna listen to it anyway, I think the whole world just hits delete before they get past the first 4 words. Stop filling up our voice mails!

[Adam Wood]

Yeah, you were thinking the same thing I was thinking--that travel time's not an issue, but time needed to make so damned many appointments is.  If government were smaller, there wouldn't need be so much time spent getting people to fill positions.

But, thanks to the Democrats, liberals, and primitives, as government isn't smaller.....

That aside, I never used to think much about this, the long interval between the election and installation of a new president, but then after the elections of 2008 when the primitives were complaining about George Bush still being in the White House, I came around to their point of view; I think it's long past time the Obozos were shown the door and told to get out.

If the primitives don't like my idea, well, they're the ones who first promoted it.

I'm with Carl on the excessive numbers of Cabinet appointments and such, but there's also some more practical, mundane considerations that the public doesn't typically see.  There was a news report a couple of weeks back pointing out that there are about four thousand hiring and firing decisions that have to be made by an incoming President (the news story, predictably, tried to claim that Trump was stupid and couldn't do this himself and therefore needed Obama's help).  Things like the White House chef and the White House usher have to be decided, along with stuff like how to furnish the White House and the design of the Oval Office rug (each President gets to choose a new one).

I'm actually quite fascinated with the logistics of the whole matter.  There have been a number of documentaries and general-interest news stories about all of this.  Believe it or not, the entire transition from one President to another, everything from moving furniture and clothing into the White House to provisioning the kitchen, occurs in just four hours on Inauguration Day, from about 11:15 (when the President and the President-elect leave the White House together and travel to the actual inauguration) until a little after three o'clock in the afternoon.  Imagine!  You move somewhere and the movers get everything done in four hours, right down to unpacking your PJs into your dresser!

Point being that there are a lot of machinations that we mere mortals don't typically see in this stuff.  The "transition" itself is a full-time job, well beyond just deciding who is going to be SECDEF and who is going to head the State Department.  There's roughly two months between the election and inauguration, which is not really out of line with the expected "transition" time of someone who takes an executive job with a Fortune 500 company in a different city.  I'm not really opposed to moving up inauguration day to something closer to January 3, but I'm really pretty fine with the setup as it is right now.

[Big Dog]

The one thing I would like to see shortened is the campaign season.
That's a tall order though because that would have to include imposing rules on media and that's maybe not such a great idea

That pesky First Amendment, right?

[FunkyZero]

That pesky First Amendment, right?

yup.
It would require muting all those propaganda outlets. And to be quite frank about it, those people are the best promoters. As always, sunlight is indeed, the best disinfectant.

[Ken8521]

I voted maybe but more accurately it would be conditionally.

Where the geographical vastness of the country is no longer an issue the ogreish vastness of the government itself makes Jan 20th at times too short.
I would like to see several cabinet and departments at a minimum halved or eliminated altogether along with much of the bureaucracy.
This would make transitioning much easier and could allow a move up to December 31st practical.

I'd agree with this completely.... while communication/transportation may be far easier... the responsibilities of the office, appointments, world threats, intelligence, etc. have grown exponentially.  To me, 1/20 seems like a pretty fair date... but I wouldn't be totally opposed to making it shorter.. I don't think it needs to be any longer.

[Ralph Wiggum]

This year, there needs to be plenty of time so that the libs can invent a narrative that "proves" the election was rigged.

Honestly, think it is a suitable amount of time.  There are tons of jobs & roles that need to be filled by January 20th.  The career administrators will still keep the government departments functional.  But thousands of policy advocates in politically appointed roles are the underreported aspect of this by the media.

[Big Dog]

yup.
It would require muting all those propaganda outlets. And to be quite frank about it, those people are the best promoters. As always, sunlight is indeed, the best disinfectant.

Indeed!

A ban on campaigning would also infringe on the freedom of speech of every American. I am free to publically campaign for Big Dog 2020, or Big Dog 2024. You are free to campaign on my behalf. The press is free to cover the story of Big Dog 2020 or 2024, or not. And the People are free to read, watch, discuss, or ignore it all.

Sure, I think it's a case of electile dysfunction to see 'news' coverage of Creepy Uncle Joe 2020, before the 2016 electoral college has been held; but I wouldn't have it any other way.

[jukin]

The real Fake News Outlets, the msm, started campaigning the second Trump was declared the landslide winner. The rest of us not so much and only in defense.

[FunkyZero]

Indeed!

A ban on campaigning would also infringe on the freedom of speech of every American. I am free to publically campaign for Big Dog 2020, or Big Dog 2024. You are free to campaign on my behalf. The press is free to cover the story of Big Dog 2020 or 2024, or not. And the People are free to read, watch, discuss, or ignore it all.

Sure, I think it's a case of electile dysfunction to see 'news' coverage of Creepy Uncle Joe 2020, before the 2016 electoral college has been held; but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, my only point was that I wish I didn't have to listen to it for 2 freekin years. The only option is to go cold turkey, break the TV and disconnect the internet. I'm not seriously suggesting shutting down media topics. It just gets old. You get sick of it real quick... kinda like me.

[Big Dog]

Well, my only point was that I wish I didn't have to listen to it for 2 freekin years. The only option is to go cold turkey, break the TV and disconnect the internet. I'm not seriously suggesting shutting down media topics. It just gets old. You get sick of it real quick... kinda like me.

I understand.

That's why my life includes  generous servings of smoked meat, cigars, bourbon, mororcycles, guns, and gals in yoga pants.

Variety!

[VelvetElvis]

I voted maybe but more accurately it would be conditionally.

Where the geographical vastness of the country is no longer an issue the ogreish vastness of the government itself makes Jan 20th at times too short.
I would like to see several cabinet and departments at a minimum halved or eliminated altogether along with much of the bureaucracy.
This would make transitioning much easier and could allow a move up to December 31st practical.

Very well put. You stated my position almost precisely.

However, the government Leviathan still exists unabated, so I voted "no", since it is truly a herculanean task to fill all of the current positions with vetted candidates in the time available.